In the Dark of the Night
by KatanaDoshi
Summary: Summary: When Owen awakes and hears that Alex is gone, his heart breaks. Season 3 Spoilers.


In the Dark of the Night

Summary: When Owen awakes and hears that Alex is gone, his heart breaks. Season 3 Spoilers.

Spoilers: primarily season 3's Ransom

Disclaimer: Oh man, the love-fest that the series would have been if I owned it.

A/N: I generally don't like writing episode centric fics, but Ransom is the only season 3 episode I saw and I like Owen enough that I think he needs to be spotlighted. Not related to anything else I've written. This was written to the song 7x70 by Chris August for those of you who like to know these things. This is a One-shot, so putting it on Story Alert will do absolutely nothing… just saying.

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><p>When he wakes up a private hospital room with IVs leading from his arm and wires stuck to his chest, Owen knows something is wrong. The room is quiet other than the steady beep that mimics his beating heart. There is something different about how the room is set up, about the fact that he is alone and how quiet it is that lets him know that isn't Manhattan General. This is the private hospital that Xanatos himself uses. Owen suspects that this is Xanatos' reserved room as well.<p>

His head hurts and his vision is blurred in a way that means his glasses aren't in place. He gropes around the bedside table but instead of finding glasses he finds a call button.

He was in a coma, he is told. Very briefly but it seemed to help heal some of his more worrisome injuries. Owen pretends that this is a surprise, that he doesn't have that ability. He would have to be kept under observation. His family would be informed that he was awake.

Owen doesn't tell the doctors that he has no family because their records will show David Xanatos as his next of kin and he didn't see the harm in letting them think that he and the other man were distantly related. In a way they were.

When David doesn't show up right away, Owen suspects that something bad has happened but he can't remember anything specific that would tell him just what that something could be. When the darker man hesitates at the door, eyes weary, Owen knows something has happened. Something terrible.

When he is told that Alex is gone, kidnapped, and that Owen was injured in the attack, Owen's heart breaks. What little magic Owen has redirects itself from healing him to searching, seeking that familiar spark… Alex is gone and gone too far for Owen to use his presence as the catalyst to transform. There are things wrong with him, physically, that will take time to heal. He is of no use.

When David forgoes the chair at Owen's bedside and chooses instead to sit on the bed itself, Owen realizes that his face is showing his distress. The other man puts a hand on Owen's hospital gown clad shoulder and that hand becomes an arm and that arm becomes a desperate embrace.

Owen has just enough strength to sit up and wrap his arms around the other man. And when he hears a broken sob break its way out of his friend's throat his heart tears in two.

Lexington is on guard in the nursery every night after the incident. The public may have been reassured that the Xanatos heir is not an easy target by any means, but he won't take his chances.

He hears the quiet, human footsteps long before the owner comes to the nursery door. It's too late – or rather, too early – for the steps to be Fox or Xanatos and they aren't the familiar light tread of Elisa's. Lex turns, eyes glowing in the dark, when he sees the blond hair and pressed suit of Owen Burnett.

He's never had much to do with Owen. The man was quiet and uninteresting unless he was transforming into the Trickster. They're only shared interest was the baby and even then, their interests are quite different. Lex doesn't attack, or growl and when the brightness of his eyes dim, Owen comes the rest of the way into the room.

Alex is sound asleep and doesn't stir when Owen peers down at him. There is a long moment of tense silence while Lex wonders what Owen is doing here and if he's been deemed not trust worthy enough to watch the infant himself.

"Thank you," even with Lex's ears, he almost misses the whisper. The young gargoyle turns his attention to the blond man. "I was told what you did," the whisper was slightly louder now. Owen's jaw clenched. "Thank you, Lexington."

"It was nothing," Lex returns his attention to the baby, his ears tuned for any unfamiliar sounds.

"No, it wasn't," there is a strain in Owen's voice that catches Lexington's attention and he looks at the other man again. Owen is clutching the side of the crib with his one good hand and Lexington thinks the man's shoulders might be shaking. "It wasn't nothing," Owen turns his head just enough to look Lexington in the eye. "Thank you, Lexington. I don't know what would have happened if-"

"Don't think about it," Lex instructs firmly. Owen blinks at him. "If you spend your life dwelling on the what ifs, then you'll never move on," he speaks from experience. Owen ponders him for a long moment before giving a single nod. He straightens and pushes his glasses up on his nose.

"Sound advice," Owen's voice is normal if quiet. "I'll try to keep it in mind."

For a moment Lex thinks that's it, that the man is going to turn and walk away and it'll be like this conversation never happened. But Owen reaches out and puts a hand on Lex's shoulder and kneels instead. He's completely unprepared for it when Owen leans forward and brushes his lips against the spot just in front of one pointed green ear.

It's a gesture from a time long since past. Lex recalls seeing noble women do this with each other in greeting and in thanks at Castle Wyvern. It is a gesture that was always reserved for women and dear friends. He is blushing by the time Owen pulls back and stands. He's still blushing after Owen has left.

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><p>AN: In the episode Ransom, Xanatos never broke down on screen. That bothered me, because he was clearly upset in several scenes but it was like he was holding it all in for Fox's sake and for the media. I felt he deserved to have a good cry and it made sense to me that he'd do it with Owen and not Fox, especially since Owen was injured enough not to be in that episode except for a few seconds at the start.

Cheek kissing is more affectionate than a handshake but less personal than a hug. Men don't usually do it with each other. I like playing with Owen's sensitive side so I went with the kissy kissy.

Please R&R, feel free to tell me if there's something specific you want to see me write.


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